Chapter 634: Dimension Unveiled
"...The polarity here is more negative than positive."
Arthur nodded in agreement. He had noticed earlier that on the Polarity Spectrum, the energies in this place were more negative.
The laws of time he could sense were negative, the destruction law energy as well.
Everything had a place on the Polarity Spectrum. It was either, Negative, Positive or Neutral/Balanced.
"Every law here is on the negative side of the polarity spectrum. Sure, energy concentrations are high, but it’s not balanced."
When Arthur said this, Hibiki agreed. She picked up a stick and began drawing on the black sand as she spoke.
"In a place like this, races on the positive end of the polarity spectrum... beings like angels, celestials, gods... they’re weakened."
Arthur agreed with this as well. He’d noticed his divinity felt ’weaker’ since coming here, while his Anti-Divinity was far more powerful than usual.
While he recalled this, Hibiki continued speaking.
"But... on the flip side, those on the negative side of the polarity spectrum would be empowered.
Dark-Race Breeds like Dark Elves and Dark Dragons, Fallen Angels, Demons...and Devils."
The moment Hibiki said ’Devils’, Arthur’s eyes narrowed. The emphasis she placed on that word wasn’t missed.
"This place... it’s related to devils, isn’t it?"
Arthur asked calmly and Hibiki took a breath before answering.
"I had an idea earlier when I sensed the energy here, but when you mentioned the red ocean, it confirmed it. I’m sure of it now. This planet, the one we’re on, is within the Infernal Dimension."
Arthur already guessed that this was a different dimension, and now Hibiki had given a name.
From the name, it was pretty obvious who reigned supreme here. The Infernal Devils.
The same bloodthirsty, warmongering Infernal Devils that Arthur didn’t like one bit.
Hibiki was watching Arthur closely, studying his reactions to her words and then she spoke.
"You don’t seem shocked."
"True. Honestly, I already knew we were in another dimension. Just didn’t know which one."
He admitted candidly and Hibiki shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips. Arthur then placed a hand on his chin for a moment before asking.
"How much do you know about the Interstellar Stage?"
The question seemed out of left field, but Hibiki still answered after a short pause.
"More than the average person. I’m a Core disciple of my sect and get access to quite a lot of information.
I wouldn’t lie that I know less than I should given my lack of interest."
"Is that so? Anyway, my name’s Arthur Vaughn."
Hibiki blinked, silent for a moment. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly mentioning his full name at this point.
She didn’t have an appraisal skill, and he’d never mentioned it so she didn’t know until he said it now.
"Wait... Arthur Vaughn? As in..."
Her words trailed off. She remembered how Arthur casually spoke with Jamie when they were on Denerth Prime and immediately the realisation dawned on her.
Seeing her expression and slowly widening eyes, Arthur laughed.
"Looks like you knew who I was, but didn’t know what I looked like."
Arthur then summoned the black mask he used on Aramis and put it over his face then spoke.
"Seem familiar now?"
The mask was the final confirmation she needed. The ’Arthur’ before her was the same one who she’d heard so much about last month—the one who somehow destroyed the Angel Race’s prized ’Book of Truth’.
"Anyway, I mentioned that just to remind you about a different fact I’m not exactly hiding.
I’m from a different universe and I’ve seen my fair share of dimensions. The moment I got our spatial coordinates, I was sure we were in some other dimension anymore.
And now... Infernal Devils, huh? I really don’t like them."
Hibiki raised an eyebrow at Arthur’s words and the boy continued with a light shrug.
"Well, even other devils don’t like them. My mom’s a Leviathan Devil, and boy, does she hate Infernals. Guess that hatred rubbed off on me because I can’t stand them either.
They do make efficient killing machines when necessary, though."
Hibiki shivered instinctively at the sight of Arthur’s expression when he talked about Infernals being killing machines. That sounded like the words of someone speaking from experience.
Whether or not he noticed it or not, Arthur was bothered by something else—why was Hibiki so sure they were in the Infernal Dimension?
"Why are you so sure about all this? Why do you think we’re in the Infernal Dimension?"
He turned to her, curiosity filling his tone and her expression stiffened. She sighed, as if recalling a painful memory before responding.
"Because... I’ve been here before. I fell into the Infernal Dimension when I was younger."
"Wait, what? You fell into the Infernal Dimension?"
Hibiki nodded in response to Arthur’s question, but the boy wasn’t any less surprised.
How did one fall into another dimension? Good thing he didn’t have to think for too long as Hibiki narrated her tale.
"When I was thirteen, something happened in my home world. I got caught up in it and ended up here—trapped for five years until I escaped at seventeen and joined my current sect."
Arthur was shocked. The thought of a child navigating a monster-filled place like this...
"You... spent five years here?"
Hibiki nodded again, the weight of those years still present in her voice.
"Yeah. It wasn’t easy, but I survived."
She paused before continuing, her tone growing darker.
"My hometown... well, it was a human-dominated planet, but there were cults—one of which worshipped devils from the Infernal Dimension. My mother, foolish as she was, became a priestess of that cult.
They attempted a summoning, succeeded in calling upon a High-Ranked Incubus."
Though Arthur already knew where this was going, he still asked.
"And?"
"That Incubus was my father. My mother didn’t survive my birth. His bloodline was too strong, and though I should’ve been half-human, I was born a full succubus."
Hearing her words, Arthur nodded, finally understanding something he’d been wondering about for the past few days.
"So that explains why you have a percentage of human factors within you. To me, you’re like 99% succubus and 1% human.
I was thinking you might have had a human ancestor somewhere along the line, but it seems it wasn’t exactly ancestry."
Hibiki was confused about where he got those percentages from, but he didn’t elaborate and just gestured for her to continue.
Hibiki recounted how the church on her planet dismantled the cult she was born into, executing most of them but sparing her life as she was an innocent baby. Though taken in by the village chief, she was never fully accepted, facing hostility from his family.
Despite this, the chief was kind to her, and for a time, she felt some happiness. However, everything shifted when she turned twelve.
Arthur raised a brow, curious about this pivotal moment of her life.
"What happened?"
"My skills awakened, along with my Succubus bloodline. I realized then... I wasn’t the human I thought I was."
Hibiki’s eyes darkened as she continued.
"Before then, I thought I was just... growing faster than the other kids. My body developed more quickly, and I brushed it off, thinking it was normal, just one of those things."
Arthur remained silent and continued listening to her tale.
"My whole world changed when I awakened my skills.
Along with the skills came my charm abilities. It’s something all succubi have—a passive charm that draws people in and makes them... desire you.
But I was just a twelve-year-old girl. I didn’t understand what was happening and didn’t know how to control it. And the village chief’s son... he was the first to fall under its influence. He became obsessed."
’Well, I could easily see how he ended up being the first victim.’
He went from being a secret bully to attempting something far worse—an assault—under the influence of her charm.
"I was saved, ironically, by the village chief’s wife, who obviously didn’t think I was the victim.
She accused me of being a witch, seducing her son and—worse—told me I was probably after her husband next.
I tried to explain, to deny it, but nothing I said mattered. She called me devil spawn, and said it was in my blood to be like this."
Hibiki recounted how the village, once divided in its opinion of her, turned against her after the incident with the chief’s son.
Despite the village chief’s efforts to protect her, his wife began locking her away, fearing the growing power of her charm. As Hibiki’s abilities strengthened, they no longer required touch to affect others, making it impossible to avoid influencing those around her.
Arthur’s impassive question— "What did you do?"—prompted her to explain how she fought to control the charm.
"I tried to control it. I didn’t know how to use my skills, but I was determined to find a way to silence the charm. Eventually, I managed to suppress it.
I thought it was over. I thought I could prove I wasn’t a danger anymore. But I was wrong."
As she spoke, Arthur glanced to the side and flicked his finger, sending a bolt of magic power through the head of the monster that was about to roar and interrupt, before returning his focus to Hibiki.
"I broke out of the place they locked me in and rushed to the village chief. He was arguing with his wife about me when I showed up. I thought it was the perfect chance to show I had control."
Her tone darkened.
"But I wasn’t controlling anything—I was just holding it back. And when I got excited... everything burst out."
Her fingers tightened around her sleeves, as if reliving the moment.
"Everyone in that room—everyone—was caught in the charm. They turned... primal, like animals. I panicked and ran. Anyone I tried to ask for help ended up like them; caught in the charm, unable to control themselves."
Arthur couldn’t imagine how she must have felt, the horror of seeing people fall victim to a power one couldn’t even control.
"I was screaming at them to stop, begging them to leave me alone, and somehow... it worked. My charm must’ve hit a breaking point because they froze like they were stunned. That gave me enough time to escape.
I ran as fast as I could, out of the village, and didn’t stop until I collapsed from exhaustion in the forest."
Arthur remained silent; his expression unreadable. Hibiki’s story wasn’t unique. There were many occurrences where one’s powers isolated them, and made them a target for fear and misunderstanding.
’This is the first time I’m speaking with a victim, though...’
She spoke about how after wandering alone for days, she barely managed to suppress her charm again and encountered a group of adventurers who took her in. Though initially kind, Hibiki remained terrified of hurting them like she had others before. To avoid abandonment, she made herself useful, doing whatever she could to earn her place.
But as time passed, things changed.
"Staying with them, they taught me to defend myself. I levelled up and got a bit stronger and I learned that I had some more abilities.
One was what I called ’Colours’ at the time.
I gained the ability to see other people’s ’sight lines’, which appeared as coloured beams of light—different hues that seemed to represent their emotions.
I didn’t understand what it meant at first, but... I learned to read them.
Green signified something like goodwill, yellow signified love and affection, black signified hatred, and crimson signified lust and desire."
"Lemme guess, your charm was affecting them?"
